Bob James (born December 25, 1939) is a two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz keyboardist. Though he has recorded a couple of straight jazz albums, most of his recordings contain "pop-jazz" which is a type of instrumental pop music. Bob James was an important figure in turning 1970s fusion jazz more commercial. For their album One on One, Earl Klugh and Bob James received a Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1981.
The Blackbyrds was a rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group, formed in Washington, D.C. in 1973. The group was led by trumpeter Donald Byrd and featured some of his Howard University students: Kevin Toney (keyboards), Keith Killgo (vocals, drums), Joe Hall (bass guitar), Allan Barnes (saxophone, clarinet), and Barney Perry (guitar). Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (flute, saxophone) were later members of the group. They signed to Fantasy Records in 1973. They are best known for their 1975 hit "Walking in Rhythm", which received a Grammy nomination.
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American funk band, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Led by Maurice White, they are best known for their hits of the 1970s, among them "After the Love Has Gone", "September," "Reasons," "Fantasy" and "Shining Star." Earth, Wind & Fire became the first black performers to headline throughout the world without an opening act, to receive Madison Square Garden's Gold Ticket Award for selling more than 100,000 tickets and to receive the Columbia Records Crystal Globe Award for selling more than five million albums in foreign markets.
Mixing R&B, funk, jazz and samba elements, Banda Black Rio, led by Oberdan Magalhães, were one of the first to undertake the fusion of Brazilian rhythms with international black music. Formed in 1976, the band's unique and pioneering samba-jazz-funk sound has attracted thousands of worshiping fans across generations. The band broke up in 1980, but came back together in 1999 in a new formation led by William Magalhães, Oberdan Magalhães' son. Discography:
# 1977 - Maria Fumaça
# 1978 - Gafieira Universal
